In fishing, sometimes less is more

Published: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 12:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 12:02 p.m.

This is a corrected version of an earlier story.

Commercial fishermen caught fewer fish last year than in 2011, but may have pocketed more money, data from the state Division of Marine Fisheries shows.

The watermen hoisted a total of 56.7 million pounds of seafood from North Carolina waters in 2012, a 16 percent drop from 2011, according to division's Annual Fisheries Bulletin for 2012. But the value of that harvest jumped to $73 million, a 2.6 percent increase officials said was likely due to the shifting catch totals for different species of fish.

For example, fishermen caught 855,006 pounds of yellowfin tuna in 2012, a 62 percent increase from the year before. The value of those harvests more than doubled, from $944,099 in 2011 to $2.1 million in 2012.

"We had a good amount of landings for some of the more high-dollar species," said Alan Bianchi, trip ticket program coordinator for Marine Fisheries. "Yellowfin tuna and swordfish had really good years, and because they're high-dollar fish, they're going to help increase the value of the landings."

Similarly, blue crabs – the state's top commercial harvest – declined in total harvest but increased in market value, netting fishermen $1.5 million more than in 2011. Landings in that fishery have been steadily declining since the late 1990s due to a host of factors, including environmental conditions and, increasingly, the economic climate.

"There are a lot less people getting into the business," said Sam Romano, a commercial fisherman and co-owner of Seaview Crab Company in Wilmington. "The work is hard. You have to basically run your own business as a fisherman, and I think a lot of people second-guess that."

Decreased revenue in the blue crab fishery is also affected by fluctuations in the market price for the shellfish. In Southeastern North Carolina, those prices are heavily dependent on the crabbing seasons in northern locations, including Virginia and Maryland.

"In those places, the crabs go down into the mud for the winter. Ours are less likely to have those cold temperatures, we can catch them year-round here," Romano said. "Early in the season, when we're catching crabs, they're not catching any yet."

Because of that, prices in the Wilmington area trend higher early in the season, then decline steadily once crabbers in those regions catch up. Currently, Seaview charges around $90 for a bushel of standard blue crabs, caught mostly in the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Later in the season, that price could be as low as $45, though that, like everything in the fishing industry, hinges on multiple factors.

"A lot of things play into it. Certain areas, like Washington and Elizabeth City, are big crabbing hubs. If they happen to have a bad year, numbers can drop even though we may still have a great year," Romano said. "Then if the market plummets to $20 a bushel, you're going to have a lot of guys asking if it's even worth the money to go out. It's so full of variables."

Economic factors also influence the recreational fishery, which saw 5.3 million hobby anglers take to state waters in 2012. That number is an 11.9 percent increase over 2011, but falls well below the nearly 7 million fishing trips that took place in 2008, before the national economy nosedived.

Landings also decreased overall for recreational fishermen, falling to 12 million pounds in 2012, a 9 percent decrease from 2011.

Dolphinfish remained the top species, but harvest numbers decreased by 27.8 percent, dropping to 2.6 million pounds from 3.5 million pounds the year before.

Other popular species for hobby anglers included yellowfin tuna, bluefish and wahoo.

<p>This is a corrected version of an earlier story.</p><p>Commercial fishermen caught fewer fish last year than in 2011, but may have pocketed more money, data from the state Division of Marine Fisheries shows.</p><p>The watermen hoisted a total of 56.7 million pounds of seafood from North Carolina waters in 2012, a 16 percent drop from 2011, according to division's Annual Fisheries Bulletin for 2012. But the value of that harvest jumped to $73 million, a 2.6 percent increase officials said was likely due to the shifting catch totals for different species of fish.</p><p>For example, fishermen caught 855,006 pounds of yellowfin tuna in 2012, a 62 percent increase from the year before. The value of those harvests more than doubled, from $944,099 in 2011 to $2.1 million in 2012.</p><p>"We had a good amount of landings for some of the more high-dollar species," said Alan Bianchi, trip ticket program coordinator for Marine Fisheries. "Yellowfin tuna and swordfish had really good years, and because they're high-dollar fish, they're going to help increase the value of the landings."</p><p>Similarly, blue crabs – the state's top commercial harvest – declined in total harvest but increased in market value, netting fishermen $1.5 million more than in 2011. Landings in that fishery have been steadily declining since the late 1990s due to a host of factors, including environmental conditions and, increasingly, the economic climate.</p><p>"There are a lot less people getting into the business," said Sam Romano, a commercial fisherman and co-owner of Seaview Crab Company in Wilmington. "The work is hard. You have to basically run your own business as a fisherman, and I think a lot of people second-guess that."</p><p>Decreased revenue in the blue crab fishery is also affected by fluctuations in the market price for the shellfish. In Southeastern North Carolina, those prices are heavily dependent on the crabbing seasons in northern locations, including Virginia and Maryland. </p><p>"In those places, the crabs go down into the mud for the winter. Ours are less likely to have those cold temperatures, we can catch them year-round here," Romano said. "Early in the season, when we're catching crabs, they're not catching any yet."</p><p>Because of that, prices in the Wilmington area trend higher early in the season, then decline steadily once crabbers in those regions catch up. Currently, Seaview charges around $90 for a bushel of standard blue crabs, caught mostly in the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic91"><b>Cape Fear River</b></a> and the Intracoastal Waterway. Later in the season, that price could be as low as $45, though that, like everything in the fishing industry, hinges on multiple factors.</p><p>"A lot of things play into it. Certain areas, like Washington and Elizabeth City, are big crabbing hubs. If they happen to have a bad year, numbers can drop even though we may still have a great year," Romano said. "Then if the market plummets to $20 a bushel, you're going to have a lot of guys asking if it's even worth the money to go out. It's so full of variables."</p><p>Economic factors also influence the recreational fishery, which saw 5.3 million hobby anglers take to state waters in 2012. That number is an 11.9 percent increase over 2011, but falls well below the nearly 7 million fishing trips that took place in 2008, before the national economy nosedived.</p><p>Landings also decreased overall for recreational fishermen, falling to 12 million pounds in 2012, a 9 percent decrease from 2011. </p><p>Dolphinfish remained the top species, but harvest numbers decreased by 27.8 percent, dropping to 2.6 million pounds from 3.5 million pounds the year before.</p><p>Other popular species for hobby anglers included yellowfin tuna, bluefish and wahoo.</p><p>Kate Elizabeth Queram: 343-2217</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @kate_goes_bleu</p>